FACT CHECK: Have 4.5 Million New Jobs Been Created Under Obama?

It’s no secret that employment is the top concern for Americans. It stands to reason, then, that politicians will be hyping their proposals for job creation, and touting their respective records on that front.

This week in Charlotte, NC, a number of speakers — including the keynote, San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro — touted job growth under President Obama by citing what seems like an impressive figure: “Despite incredible odds and united Republican opposition, our president took action, and now we’ve seen 4.5 million new jobs,” Castro said.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Obama’s former White House chief of staff, cited the same number. “Our economy has gone from losing 800,000 jobs a month, to adding 4.5 million private-sector jobs in the last 29 months,” Emanuel claimed.

Both statements are misleading, though Emanuel’s is more factually grounded than Castro’s. The Chicago mayor is correct, but his decision to focus only on the last 29 months is a deliberate attempt to inflate the president’s record on job creation. Castro’s statement, which did not include a time frame, is even more misleading.

Under President Obama, the U.S. economy has created a net 415,000 private-sector jobs — less than 0.2% of the 155 million-member American workforce. Castro and Emanuel chose the window that they did — beginning in January 2010 — in order to maximize the apparent job growth under Obama.

But even that statistic does not tell the full story, since the workforce itself has shrunk dramatically in size since Obama took office. Labor force participation is at 63.5 percent, its lowest level (excluding 2012) since 1981. In other words, a large chunk of Americans have simply given up looking for work. A significant number are collecting disability insurance instead, according to new research from Heritage’s James Sherk.

The labor force participation figures mean that the 8.1 percent unemployment rate also understates troubles in the job market. According to the American Enterprise Institute’s James Pethokoukis, that rate would be more than 10 percent if the labor force were the same size it was when Obama took office.

Despite similarities to workforce participation rates in the economic recovery of the early 1980s, job creation numbers during that period far outpace those of our current economic situation. So even if we examine a timeframe more friendly to the argument advanced by Emanuel and Castro, Obama’s performance is disappointing.

During the first 37 months of the current economic recovery — from June 2009 through July 2012 — the American economy added 3.38 million non-farm private sector jobs, or about 2.1 percent of the workforce. During the first 37 months of the recovery from the early 1980s recession, the economy added 5.2 million non-farm private sector jobs, about 4.5 percent of the workforce.

In short, the jobs number cited by speakers in Charlotte is misleading at best, and attempts to use large-sounding numbers to make an historically unimpressive economic recovery seem more significant than it is.

UPDATE: This post has been changed to reflect new jobs numbers released on September 7. For more on the dismal report, read the Morning Bell.

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the government is hindering job growth and corrupting the market for their political pomp. The government is working in total contrast of opportunity and job growth just to gain control of it all! Take government out of the equation and what do you have? Genuine job growth unhindered by government dictate and their unconstitutional force! So many doors of opportunity have been nailed shut by the acts of government beyond our control. Everything these speakers at the dems convention promotes is government in control over your own.

"we admire the wealthy?" only the private sector wealthy and only for show and to take from. Which is funny no one took from their wealth or even considered it in the years I've been alive in America? Or admit the fact derelict democrats have been making millions off the tax payers while they keep the poor poor and dependent on government, destroying America and her core principles. Democrats are so rich in wealth while the people they serve are so needy!! They're hypocrites exploiting humanity…

It isn't the first time ,we heard dissapointin news over the unemployment figuers an it certainly won't be the last.But perhaps,maybe the most sobering part is that here in ,America the,Constitution provides all the tools that r needed 2 insure our,sovereignity of greatness.And I certainly believe,that in order to prevent shameful errors,the integrity and vision the founders placed for our posterity must be protected..

Thank you for posting such a telling graphic. More people need to see this and then know the truth of certain statements made by these speakers. It's a shame the way government leaders lie to the public just to get elected.

The talking heads of the Democrat Party are given talking points each day and told to go out and keep up the same lies over and over again, regardless of the truth being exposed to their faces. As the old saying goes, "tell a lie enough times, it will be accepted as truth. This is just one the Democrat strategies to deceive the American people.

Under Obama 125,000 foreign workers are given work permits each month. One and a half million each year..We arre told that 4.5 million jobs have been added under Obama. How many of those jobs were taken by the foreign workers while American workers continue to struggle?

Also forgotten in this biased piece were the potential jobs created for infrastructure (teachers, firefighters, police,etc.) that are required mostly as a result of population growth. Republicans crused any efforts here when they tried to blame the public sector for all ills, past and present. The republican obstructionism and blind polices to deny obama a second term will be remembered when voters go to the polls. They have to run on their own dismal records which make Obama a lock for reelection. Easy choice for voters who aren't addicted to fox and can do basic math.

If creating jobs was such a priority, a corner-stone of the Obama admin, why did he do nothing (oh sorry, he did spend 787 billion on his stimulus, WHICH HAS GIVEN US 7.9% UNEMPLOYMENT!!!) during his first 2 years when he had majorities in both the Senate and House? Obstructionists? Please do not insult our intelligence! Obama offers nothing but the same policies of the past four years – demonize and tax successful businesses / individuals, divide Americans into groups pitting each against each other, and diminishing America's presence in the world. We need a leader who has strong pro-growth polices, wants to limit the size and scope of govt, wants to unite all Americans, and project peace through strength in an ever increasingly dangerous world.

Perhaps you need to give alternative media a try, Ken. You have already demonstrated you can do basic math, how about a course in U.S. history and the Constitution?

If creating jobs was such a priority, a corner stone of the Obama admin, why did he do nothing (oh sorry, he did spend 787 billion on his stimulus, WHICH HAS GIVEN US 7.9% UNEMPLOYMENT!!!) during his first 2 years when he had majorities in both the Senate and House? Obstructionists? Please do not insult our intelligence! Obama offers nothing but the same policies of the past four years – demonize and tax successful businesses / individuals, divide Americans into groups pitting each against each other, and diminishing America's presence in the world. We need a leader who has strong pro-growth polices, wants to limit the size and scope of gov't, wants to unite all Americans, and project peace through strength in an ever increasingly dangerous world.

Job growth has certainly been disappointing. However, folks need to realize that it was Republican policies that created this mess in the first place. Complaining about the person (i.e. Obama) trying to clean up the mess misses the point.

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